Raise Your Glass
by EasterBasket
Summary: Asakura Mao has always thought highly of herself as a tennis player. But what happens when a trip to Seigaku makes her realize that power alone is not enough to make her one of the best? Tezuka Kunimitsu/OC
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

Hello,

This is my first story here. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Please note that Akanashi, Karin and Tegoshi, Chiaki are not my own characters. They belong to my friend, IchiakiI. She's also my beta reader. She also writes some pretty awesome stuff. Go check her out if you have the time!

Reviews are much appreciated.

* * *

><p>The day was a peaceful one in Hyotei Academy. It was late Spring at the time, so the weather was warm and the trees were budding. Birds were chirping happily as they fluttered their wings before taking flight. One could almost call it a 'lazy day...' Whatever that was. The sound of tennis balls being hit was something that the students had grown used to.<p>

Hyotei had an active tennis team with well-over two-hundred members! It was normal for passing students to see someone training vigorously over at the courts. The members wore the same white and blue uniforms. The boys wore t-shirts and shorts while the girls wore shorts under neath short dress.

Some of the most devoted tennis players would be seen early in the morning, practicing. Mao was one of those diehard tennis players. Being one of the first ones to arrive in the morning, many weren't surprised when they saw the dark carmine haired girl practicing her swings. She would be later joined by other members, such as Akanishi, Karin and Tegoshi, Chiaki. The three girls were good friends, and regulars on the girl's tennis team.

"Good morning, Mao-san!" Karin chimed as she strode into the empty tennis court.

The carmine haired girl turned her caramel brown gaze to the blonde girl and nodded. Beaming, Karin trotted over to the team captain and stood next to her. Her waist length hair was tied back into a low pony tail so that it would not get tangled, where as Mao's long hair was always tied back by a white bandage. The third year stared at the second year blankly, as if waiting for her to say something.

"Chiaki-chan has not arrived yet," Mao commented lazily, thought Karin continued beaming at her. Feeling a little nervous, Mao stepped back. "What?"

Giggling, Karin held out a piece of paper, which Mao collected and looked at. Scanning at the paper for a moment, which turned out to be an article from the recent tennis magazine, Mao paused her reading and looked at Karin.

"So...?" the senior inquired, unsure what the blonde had in mind.

"Let's go all together!" the outgoing girl exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

"Where?"

"To Seigaku, of course!"

Mao stared at the girl with a scowl. That has got to be the most ridiculous thing she has heard all week. Opening her mouth to protest, the sound of foot steps could be heard. Chiaki stepped into the court and ran towards the two girls. Her tennis uniform had been put on rather sloppily, which she fixed once halting in front of her friends.

"So, are we going?" she inquired happily.

"I'm not going," Mao stated flatly and turned to the tennis court.

"What? Why?" Chiaki cried out, holding her hands to her chest, "I want to see the Golden Pair..."

Karin nodded in agreement. There was this thing between these two girls... They thought that there was something more that friendship between the two Kikumaru, Eiji and Shuichiro, Oishi. Mao just frowned at the thought and shook her head. Girls and their fantasies these days. She looked over her shoulder and called out:

"Who wants to play?"

"Me!"

Stepping out of the bus, Mao grit her teeth as she followed the two younger girls in front of her. How did this happen when she stated clearly that she was not going to Seigaku? Recently the Seigaku tennis team had won a tournament and everyone interested in sports or tennis in general was heading to Seigaku to see them train. Walking a few feet away from Chiaki and Karin, Mao turned her caramel brown eyes to the sky.

She wore her usual red knee length loose shorts, blue t-shirt and red sweater. A black and red Babolat tennis bag was loosely slung over her shoulder. Her hair was in its usual style, bangs over her eyes the chin length pieces framed her heart shaped face while the buttocks length hair was tied back into a low ponytail.

Chiaki and Karin had dressed themselves in their school's tennis uniform, carrying their tennis bags filled with whatever they usually carried, minus several things such as school books. Chiaki's long black hair was set free. And it shone in the sunlight, healthily. It just showed how much she takes care of it. Mao admired that. She was sure that the black haired girl was not obsessed with her appearance, but dressing modestly and taking care of one's hygiene with leave a good impression on others.

Karin too had her waist length blonde hair free without any ties to keep it back. Her blue eyes seemed to glitter in the sunlight as she chattered happily with Chiaki. Mao smiled a little at the two younger girls. Mao liked them very much. They did not have that many things in common, but maybe that is what makes them such good friends. There is so many things they still need to learn about one another, and who knows, maybe they will turn out to have more things in common than they expected!

"I can see the gate!" Karin chimed. Chiaki, who squeaked, stopped and grabbed Mao's hand before breaking to a run, with Karin flanking her.

"H-hey!" Mao cried out she held onto her tennis bag, but despite her protest, she was not able to contain the small grin that appeared on her face and the small chuckle that emerged from her mouth.

'These two...' Mao thought as her eyes narrowed as her gaze soften.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

Yush! It's chapter two. I experienced a few writers blocks because I couldn't come up with anything good, so I produced this... thing. Whatever it is, I hope you'll enjoy it! And now onto a note that is not related to this story; I got a bruise on my elbow... From archery! The moral? Wear something that'll protect your arm, because it hurts when the bow string grazes your skin(unless you like getting bruises from outdoor activities and sports like I do).

Reviews and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

* * *

><p>"Wow, they are so cool!" Karin cried out as she watched the Seigaku tennis players train.<p>

Karin and Chiaki stood by the fence with other amazed observers. Most of them seemed like reporters, while others were students, just like them. Standing away from the mob of adoring fans, stood Mao with her arms crossed and head turned to the side. She was a proud Hyotei tennis player, and refused to admit out-loud that Seigaku was strong and blessed with such great players.

Occasionally she would glance at the Seigaku team from the corner of her eye whenever there was a mild uproar, but when the Regulars arrived... Goodness. Even Mao could not look away. She stared at them in awe as they walked into the court. Several fangirls squealed, either calling out 'Tezuka-buchou,' 'Fuji-kun' or some other name. Gritting her teeth, she tore her gaze away from the eight players that had just entered the court.

Chiaki had turned around to observe her friend's reaction and smile.

"They're amazing, aren't they, Captain?" she teased. She knew well that Mao was stubborn and would keep denying Seigaku's great skill in tennis and that Hyotei was the best one out there. 'How patriotic,' the black haired girl thought with a wide smile as she turned her dark gaze back to the court.

Frowning a little, Mao looked around. The boys tennis team was least of her concern. It was the girls team that she was curious about. Were they just as... good as the boys? Biting her thumbnail a little, Mao left the scene to see is any girls were training. It'd be good if she could gain some data on them. Even though Mao was a good tennis player and hardly lost any games, she was sort of a... Sore-loser.

Raised to be a winner or the best in everything did at a very young age, Mao did not take too well to losing and seemed to take a pretty big fall when things turned bad for her. It takes awhile for her to get herself back together but she manages to pull through one way or the other. The carmine haired girl stopped when she found what she was looking for. The girls team was impressive, but not exactly what she expected.

Placing her hands onto the chain linked fence, she watched as the girls practiced. They trained hard, that's good. They seemed pretty devoted to tennis as well. Too deep in thought, Mao failed to notice someone walk up to her.

"E-excuse me but..." a meek voice spoke up, "if you're looking for the boys, they're over there."

Looking to her side, the Hyotei's girls tennis team's Captain saw a girl, perhaps several years younger than her with long braided brown hair. She held a tennis racket and stared up at Mao shyly. Snorting a little, Mao turned her head back to the court she was observing.

"Those guys aren't my concern," she retorted, "it's these ladies right here that I'm curious about."

"W-... What do you mean?" the girl inquired curiously.

"I don't think boys play against girls in tournament matches," Mao said while keeping her eyes on one of the senior girls, "it's good to study and know your opponent because you never know when you'll have to face them."

There was a brief silence as the girl thought over what Mao had said. Her eyes were kept on the ground, but eventually she looked up at the taller girl.

"W-who... Who are you and what school do you go to?" she asked hesitantly.

Turning fully around to face the girl, Mao grinned a little. She liked to be a bit intimidating at times. She did not like to be taken lightly and made sure that her strength would not be misjudged by others. The girl took a step back as Mao seemed to tower over her. After all, Mao was a tall girl.

"My name is-?"

"Cap-tain Ma-ooooo~"

The tall girl turned around to face Chiaki who came running at them with her black hair fluttering behind her. The girl holding the racket peered around Mao to get a better look at Chiaki. She stared wide eyed at the black haired girl as she latched onto Mao's arm, tugging it softly. The carmine haired girl frowned a little as she listened to what her school mate had to say.

"I'm not interested in the regulars," the tall girl protested.

"Aw," Chiaki whined, "but we can tell Atobe-kun about the regulars over here!"

Mao snorted. Atobe. That little-...

"No."

Turning back to the girls practicing in the court, the Hyotei girl's tennis team's captain said no more. The brown haired girl stared at her shoes. The gears in her head slowly began to turn until something clicked. She looked up at Mao hopefully. Noticing the girl staring at her, the said girl turned her head.

"Yes?"

"You play tennis, right?"

Staring at the girl blankly, Mao nodded slowly. Beaming a little, she introduced herself as Sakuno Ryozaki. She explained to the older girl that she had just started tennis and would be honored if she could see Mao play a bit. Chiaki, who was listening to the conversation, turned to her friend his eyes glittering. Seeing nothing wrong with Sakuno's request, Mao obliged to the request and followed the freshman to a more quiet spot.

Standing in front of a wall, Mao set down her tennis bag and pulled out her tennis racket. It was a CrossBow 4 racket by Head. Before nudging her bag away, she pulled out a tennis ball. Sakuno and Chiaki stood off at the side, watching. Before serving the ball, Mao bounced it several times. As the ball flew up into the air, Mao leaned her torso back as her right arm raised. The racket eventually came in contact with the tennis ball with a crackling sound. The ball ricocheted off the racket's surface and eventually collided with the cement wall, bounced back towards Mao, only to be returned by the girl.

This went on for a while. Mao's brown eyes shined with determination as she returned the ball, moving left and right to reach it. Sweat had began to form on her forehead, and she was tempted to wipe it off. Sakuno stared at her in awe. It was a good idea to ask if she could see Mao play. It gave her much motivation. Chiaki noticed the look of admiration and grinned. Her captain was a monster in the courts, but a terrible loser. Eventually, Mao stopped the ball by holding her racket out to the ball, but did not rally it back.

As the ball bounced to the ground, the said girl turned to Sakuno and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Running over to Mao, Sakuno thanked the older girl. Chiaki grinned toothily and then looked at her watch. It was almost time to go or they would miss their bus! Picking up the ball and her bag, Mao walked over to Chiaki. But before leaving, she looked over her shoulder at Sakuno and smirked.

"Good luck, Sakuno."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

Here's my excuse for not updating for a while. I did bad in my Math finals(74), so I had to study long and hard to do well on my Math Regents(81). To study well, I was banned from the computer. But now that I am in Finland, I have access to the internet and a computer. Do you know what this means? It means that I'm able to update again!

But alas, just as I thought that everything was good, a writer's block came and slapped me right on the face, followed by a bried art block. I was relieved from my writer's block on Monday evening when my brother dropped by with his dog, a Miniature Pinscher. His dog was the key to this chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>It was dark in the quiet bedroom. The light was blocked by curtains and not a single ray of sunlight got into the room. Clothing was discarded on a black office chair and a bag was on the floor. Books, a tennis racket, and some tennis balls along with some small things were scattered all around.<p>

There was scuffling by the closed door followed by a creak. A streak of light was reflected on the floor and wall. Small clicking could be heard as something entered the room. They knew exactly what they wanted, for the small form headed for the bed. Standing next to the furniture, it leaped onto the soft cushions. Sniffling around, the small body began to move until it found a desired cheek.

Something cold and wet came into contact with the soft, tan skin, followed by tongue and a whine. The body on the bed groaned and turned itself away, then buried their head into the soft pillow . But that seemed to be a mistake, for wet kisses were planted on the tired face. Groaning a little, the person's eyelids fluttered open. Brown eyes met another pair of brown eyes. A bark rang through the air.

"Shhh," Mao soothed and closed her eyes.

Something was placed on her cheek. The girl scrunched her nose as she felt claws dig into her face. Moving her head, she rolled onto her side and sat up. Something forced its way onto her lap and attempted another assault of kisses.

"No," the tennis player protested and pushed the animal off her lap.

There was shuffling outside of her room and a woman appeared by the door.

"Good morning, Mao."

"Buon giorno, mamma," Mao replied while rubbing her eyes.

The woman smiled and walked across the room to the window. Tossing the curtains aside, light flooded into the room forcing Mao to shut her eyes until she could open them again. The teen stood up, stretched, and walked around her room, searching for clothing. Eyes followed her the whole time.

"Don't forget to take Panini out for a walk," her mother reminded as she walked out.

Panini, the red Miniature Pinscher, barked from his spot on the bed. Mao looked at her pet and smiled. He was only a year old. Because Mao didn't like cropped ears, the tip of Panini's right ear flopped over. Nor was Panini's tail docked. Taking some clean clothing, Mao walked out of her room and into the bathroom. Noticing that his mistress had gone, Panini jumped off the bed and ran after her. He soon ended up sitting by the closed bathroom door waiting for her to be done showering.

Eventually, Mao stepped out dressed in some gray capris and a t-shirt. Her Hyotei tennis sweater was wrapped around her waist. Her damp hair was up in a messy bun. Bending down, she picked up her dog and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Mamma, I need more tennis balls," she informed and set the dog down before taking a seat by the table. "Panini keeps hiding them."

"Yes, I found one in the laundry basket," her mother agreed. "Its been chewed well."

Picking up her cup of orange juice, Mao snorted at her mother's statement. There were two things that Panini was flawless at: running after tennis balls, and hiding them. When Mao discovered that Panini liked tennis balls, she spent two weeks teaching the dog to bring the ball to her and then another week to teach him how to drop the object. It was nerve wrecking for her. But alas, in the end it all paid off. Now, Mao was able to go and practice tennis and take Panini with her. Not only was she interacting with her dog and providing him with exercise, it was something that Panini liked doing.

Barking at Mao's mother, Panini sat down and raised one paw with a proud look on his face. The woman shook her head and turned back to the stove, muttering something about Panini fetching the mail. Finishing her croissant, Mao stood up, thanked her mother and pecked her on the cheek before heading for the door. Grabbing her keys, phone and wallet, she called out to Panini, who came running. Excited yips and whimpers could be heard from the dog as he pranced to the door.

Putting a harness on Panini, she clipped a leather leash on it. She liked harnesses and leather leashes. The leash was something that allowed Mao to pull her dog closer to her when there was a dog much larger than her Miniature Pinscher, and the harness made her feel like she wasn't choking her dog when he was on a leash. After putting on her shoes, she opened the door. Sliding her foot in front of Panini, she prevented the small dog from bolting out the door.

"Alright, I'm off!" Mao called out to her mother.

* * *

><p>Making sure that her Miniature Pinscher was securely tied on a post, Mao gave him a scratch on the back of his head before entering the sporting goods store. As the glass door was pushed open, the bell above the door chimed. Heads turned to look at Mao. The store was mostly empty, save for the man at the cash register and another customer. Tilting her head to the side, Mao pondered; he looked familiar.<p>

"I'll be right with you, Miss Asakura."

"No, it's okay. I'm here for tennis balls, thank you though," she declined the employee's offer politely.

Walking behind some shelves, Mao began to search for the tennis balls. While she was doing so, she felt eyes on her. It was only for a brief moment, but it still managed to make her nervous. Picking up a tube of tennis balls, she gave the other customer a hard stare, but looked at the tube when he turned his gaze to her.

Ri~ing

The door to the store opened again and once again, heads turned. A boy with black hair walked in. A look of recognition appeared on his face when he saw the other customer that mao had been staring at.

"Yo! Tezuka-buchou!"

That's when it dawned to Mao. Tezuka. Kunimitsu Tezuka, the Captain of Seikagu's boys tennis team! Mao gritted her teeth. He was the one that Atobe had beef with. Walking over to the two boys and the man by the register, she held out the tube of tennis balls.

"Ah, let me guess, your dog again?" the man at the register asked, taking the tube and scanning it.

"Yes," Mao replied curtly and handed the man by the cash register the money she owed.

The stares she was receiving from the two boys was beginning to set her off. Turning around to face them, she frowned to display her displeasure. Taking the tube of tennis balls, she snapped a bit harshly.

"What?"

The one with black hair, took a step back and held up his hands defensively.

"Wh-?"

"You're from Hyotei," the one she had realized to be Kunimitsu Tezuka commented.

Mao realized then that he had been staring at her jacket that had been wrapped around her waist. Snorting at the fact that he had recognized what school she belonged to, she brushed past both boys. Her gaze was on the door, but she stopped and turned around to face Tezuka.

"What's it to you, Seigaku-kun?"


	4. Chapter 4

From the bottom of my heart, I'm so sorry!

The reason why I haven't uploaded in a while is because it took me a while to come up with this chapter. Then once I typed it out onto the computer and sent it to my beta, it turned out that she had no access to the internet. So, she gave me the okay to post it (I apologize for any spelling errors). Plus, school also started, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update. My Global teacher told me that we will have to write two essays a week and for math, I'll have homework everyday. Even on the weekends! And it doesn't help that I'm in honors classes. I do love writing this story, but I'll be more focused on school work.

This chapter is weird. When I types it on my iPod, it was shorter and less descriptive. But then when I typed it up onto my computer, I decided to make it lengthier and use a lot of descriptions.

Well, I hope you guys will enjoy this one!

* * *

><p>The atmosphere in the shop seemed to grow heavier as time passed. Mao and Tezuka had locked their gaze and seemed to just stare at each other as long as they could. The teen accompanying Tezuka stared at his captain and then at Mao. He seemed desperate for something to break the intense moment.<p>

"Buchou?" he interrupted unsurely.

Upon hearing his friend, Tezuka tore his gaze away from the tan girl. Mao snorted at his actions and pushed the glass door open. The bell above the door ringed and for a brief moment, the sound of cars passing by filled the store, before dying down. Like a deflating balloon, the mood in the store turned for the better. The black haired boy looked at his friend.

"Tezuka/buchou, who was that?"

The clerk cleared his throat, earning thei attention. He leaned against the counter and looked at the door before looking back at the two boys.

"That's Asakura, Mao," he said, "she comes here to buy tennis balls every now and then."

"Asakura... Mao?" the more vocal one of the duo inquired.

"Yeah," the employee said and pushed himself off the counter, "from what I know; she goes to Hyotei and she's one of the regulars."

"Really"

"Oishi, let's go," Tezuka finally said and turned for the door.

"A-ah, yes!"

Little paws clicked against the pavement as Panini ran after the yellow thought Mao told herself 'no,' she just had to give one of the balls to her dog. They were in the park where the small dog could run free while Mao enjoyed the scenery on a near by bench.

Panini was a clever dog. He when Mao called, he was expected to come. And what choices did he have? His owner could be cruel woman when she wanted to. It meant that if he misbehaved, all his toys would disappear and no treats or anything else yummy would be given to him until she felt like he learned his lesson. Sometimes she'd spray him with water. Panini didn't like that. It startles him.

Sitting down on one of the green benches, Mao stared at the sky lazily. It was light blue with several fluffy clouds floating by. A light breeze blew by, ruffling her red-brown hair. A few strands fell on her eyes. Narrowing her brown orbs slightly, she huffed in an attempt to blow them off from her line of vision. The first few attempts were a fail, but she eventually did succeed.

Her attention was brought to the ground by the pitter patter of paws. Between her feet, sat Panini with the ball nearly stuffed in his maw. Leaning forward to grab the slobbery ball, Mao furrowed her eye brows. Hesitantly, she grabbed it with her index finger and thumb. The miniature dog growled as he put up a small fight.

If you want to give me the ball, just let go already, Mao thought just before Panini released his grip on the ball. Standing up, Mao tossed the ball as far as she could. The yellow object soared into the sky and vanished behind some bushes. For a moment, Mao watched as her dog rocketed after the ball, before sitting back down. Her head lulled back.

"You're my love, you're my shine... So trust me, trust me, trust me, yeah," Mao sang quietly (well, more like mouthed).

If she was one bit interested in a musical career, Mao could do well. But alas, the only time she really sang was in the shower or when her music teacher (and team adviser) Sakaki demanded her to do so in order to pass his class. Not that she was failing. Her tanned hand moved up to her mouth as she yawned.

"Mao!"

Blinking, the said girl raised her head and looked around. Her eyes scanned the area until her eyes spotted someone familiar. Blue eyes shone in the sunlight as they met with Mao's eyes. A smile was painted on pink lips as the figure neared the girl. Mao scowled as she realized who this blonde was.

"Get away from me."

"Oh, come on! It was an accident."

Though the statement offered Mao little comfort. Her hands mover and crossed in front of her chest. Karin rolled her eyes and took a seat next to her friend.

"Get over it."

* * *

><p>The girls over at Hyotei were training hard. And because Mao wanted to gaps in the team's performance, she tended to come up with various exercises to hone the team's skills.<p>

On this one particular day, Mao decided to work on doubles. In case there would be a time where they would placed in an uncomfortable situation, she wanted the team prepared (especially during tournaments) for teams over all performance was good, but there still could be some improvement done on their doubles. She had all the members study and remember the basics to doubles and on top of that, she actually came up with random pairs.

Some pairs were stronger than others, but the whole point of the exercise was to eliminate any problems between the partners and make their teamwork much more stronger. They all had different styles, and Mao made sure that she would come up with some ways to make the partnerships work.

Now, picking Karin as her partner was not a bad idea. In fact, the two get along very well, and seeing that whenever Mao plaid doubles in tournament, most of the time the blonde was her partner. The two never had any problem with teamwork. Sure Mao tended to get a bit annoyed with Karin (or anyone of her partners) at times, but she was no doubles specialist and preferred singles above everything else.

Leaning slightly onto her partner, Mao took deep gasps to fill up her oxygen deprived lungs and calm her heart beat. A look of concern was exchanged between Karin and Chiaki. The blonde turned back to her captain. Her limbs quivered and her grip loosened. Her racquet threatened to drop from her grasp.

"Buchou...? Are you alright?" Karin inquired hesitantly from her captain and tennis partner.

She received a mild glare from the tall girl, which meant that she was fine. There was movement from Mao. Her limbs moved as she attempted to stand straight, but her stamina had almost ran out and she stumbled. Instinctively, Karin's hand shot out to grab Mao's shoulder to support her. Though what she had grabbed, was not Mao's shoulder. It was much more squishier and-...

Oh god.

The whole court went quiet. Karin felt her cheeks flare up. Slowly, she looked at Mao's face. Hues and shades of red stained her cheeks. They were hard to see on the dark-ish skin, but they were still there. A racquet fell to the ground and Mao was the first one to react. Even thought her legs felt like lead, she managed to pull away, triggering a reaction in Karin. The second year middle schooler whipped her outstretched arm and held it.

Chiaki leaned forward in the referee seat. She blinked once, twice and trice before calling out:

"Yup, that was a legit boob grab!"

"SHUT UP!" an embarrassed Karin roared back.

While Chiaki taunted Karin, Mao crossed her arms over her chest protectively. Some of the members rushed over to comfort and calm down their shocked captain. _That was not a grab... that was a squeeze, _Mao thought as she stared at the ground with wide eyes.

"She's hyperventilating!"

* * *

><p>"You're over reacting," Karin stated while nibbling on the zipper of her blue jacket, "and I said that I was 'sorry.'"<p>

"Yeah, whatever," was the only reply that Mao could muster up. Her cheeks were red.

The awkward moment was broken when Panini came running. He dropped the tennis ball and propelled himself into Karin's lap. The puppy yipped and kissed her face. His claws dug into Karin's stomach. He was glad to see her. Unlike some Min Pins[1], everyone was Panini's friends. Cats, dogs, bunnies, people... Except mice and rats. He was hard-wired to hunt them.

"Well, hello there!" Karin greeted optimistically.

The dogs tail wagged rapidly as his kissed was welcomed. She came to Mao's house at least three times a week. Whether it was to drop or pick up something off, or hanging out with Mao. It didn't matter. She always took time to pet or play with him. Karin cradled the King of Toys and then looked at Mao.

The said girl had been observing her from the corner of her eye. There was a certain look on Mao's eyes. It caused Karin's stomach to twist.

"What's on your mind"

"I'm developing a new move."

Something about that that one single statement caused Karin to go pale. Something wasn't right. Why did that statement feel so... So wrong in many ways? She swallowed as her grip on Panini tightened, causing the puppy to look at Karin and then at his owner with uneasiness. The sudden change in mood was affecting him.

A strong breeze blew. Several leaves on the ground were picked up and carried away. Some blue jays perching on a tree took flight, rustling the leaves until the park fell silent. For a brief moment all movement seemed to stop and everything felt cold and seemed dead. Karin's mouth felt dry. Finally she spoke with a hoarse voice:

"What kind of move?"


	5. Chapter 5

Eee! I'm on a roll here! Well, in this chapter, a new character is introduced! Note that she does not belong to me. She belongs to my friend.

* * *

><p>She was deeply bothered. What she had witnessed her captain do, shook Karin. The bad feeling she had grew stronger the more she saw Mao Perfect and polish her new technique. She did not like the look of that technique. It seemed... Wrong.<p>

Karin stared out the window with her eyebrows furrowed. It was a clear day with a light breeze. It was also hot, but it was deeply before her teacher had a chance to notice that she had in fact, not been paying attention to a single word he had said.

The tiled room was unusually quiet. Normally it would be filled with gossip and chatter. But that was only in between classes. It was not very often that Mao went to the restrooms during class. But she was having an emergency and asked if she may go to the lavatory.

Leaning down into the sink, Mao cupped the cool water in her hands and splashed it on her face. The coolness of the liquid felt nice on her hot cheeks. A toilet flushed, and behind her one of the stalls opened. Raising her gaze a little, the tennis player stared at the mirror. Behind her stood a girl. She was clearly shorter than Mao with black hair and two pony tails. Two long strands of her bangs were a violet color and her eyes... A shiver ran up Mao's spine as her own eyes met with the girls. They were red.

She walked up to the sink next to Mao and washed her hands without saying a word. Mao dried her face and hands, making sure to take her time. Once done, she calmly walked over to the door and stepped into the hallway where she hurried back to class. She was not particularly worried about getting into trouble with the teacher. The teachers knew that Mao was a good student and never displayed any bad behavior. The reason why she was in such a rush was because she was spooked. That girl in the bathroom... When their eyes had met on the mirror, Mao was startled by the look in the younger girls eyes.

There was a murderous intent in them. And Mao did not like the look. She felt threatened and she did not like the feeling at all. Her fist tightened, causing her knuckles to turn white. Seeing that her classroom, 3-A was now in sight, she pushed the thought of the girl out of her head and opened the door. Several heads turned to see who was at the door, but once they realized who it was, they turned back to their work.

With a deep sigh, Mao leaned into the chair. Her notebook was on the wooden table in front of her and several piles of books sat in front of her. She had been doing research on some research paper she had to do for history. School had ended and extra curriculums had already started. Normally Mao would be over at the tennis courts, but this paper was a big part of her grade and she did not plan on flunking history anytime soon. Besides, Karin had things in control over at the courts and Mao would be joining them soon anyway.

Looking at the clock on the white walls and then at her notebook, Mao stood up, gathered her things and returned the books to their original places. With her books and things in stow, she headed over to the tennis courts. Tomorrow they would host tennis matches to pick the new regulars. Ever since Mao became the captain, there has been very little changes in regulars. Only twice had a regular lost in a match like this.

Then there were the ones who lost horribly in tournament matches. Even thought they were girls, Sakaki was just as 'cruel' with them as he was with the boys. If you lost you would be booted out of the regular line-up. Second chances were extremely rare. Shishido Ryo was one of those rare cases. He was lucky. If Atobe and Choutarou had not vouched for him, Taki Haginosuke would still be one of the regulars.

Mao walked down the hallway and to the nearest exit. Some students were still hanging around the school yard, but she paid little attention to them. Her only focus was to get to the locker room and get changed. Once she was in her uniform, she walked out to the court with her racket. But what she saw, caused her to halt. It was the girl from the bathroom.

The captain stopped and her eyes narrowed. Some of the non-regulars noticed her and cried out before running to Mao. This alerted the girl and the regulars. The carmine haired girl was not that interested in the red-eyed girl, but more keen about Chiaki's red and swollen arm. Karin, who held their friend, tossed her captain and friend a pleading look.

"What's going, and why are you injuring my regulars?" she demanded. Her voice stern and controlling.

The girl only scowled and pointed Mao with her white Prince O3 racket. Her red orbs narrowed dangerously.

"I'm here to take you down and take over this team," she hissed.

The older girl could only stare. Honestly, Mao had not expected that sort of reply. Her arms shook as she laughed. Just laughed.

"I'm sorry-," she managed between laughs, "but, what?"

It took her a while to stabilize herself and make sure that she wouldn't burst out into laughter again. The challenger stared at her furiously. She was serious about her statement and she just laughs? There was a deep chuckle from Mao.

"What's your name, kid?"

The girl's red eyes narrowed and she scowled. Her grip on her racket tightened.

"Shuzen, Akuha," she snarked, which earned a sneer from Mao.

The much taller girl strode past Akuha, bumping her shoulder roughly. But before she got too far, she stopped and with her free hand she pushed back her hair, revealing her eyes. Her eyes were fixated on her challenger.

"Have fun stripping off my crown**[1]**," she taunted and headed over to the court.

She shed off her regulars jacket and handed it to the nearest member and took position. Brooding over Mao's mockery, Akuha followed suit and stood on the opposite side of the court. Mao turned to Karin and signed her the referee position. The blonde nodded, looked at Chiaki who sat on the bleachers with some other girls before heading over to the referee's seat.

Mao held out her racket upside down.

"Up, or down?"**[2]**

"Down."

Setting her racket on the ground by the tip of its frame and gave it a good spun. Everyone watched as the racket went round and round. It was nothing but a blur of white, blue and black. The Babolat racket spun and spun until it slowed down and fell to its side. The bottom of the 'B' was pointing up. Akuha smirked at the results. She produced a tennis ball from her pocket and bounced it a bit as Mao picket up her racket from the ground.

"One set match, Shuzen, Akuha to serve!" Karin called out.

Akuha tossed the ball up, bounced a little due to her shortness. Her racket collided with the tennis ball, which shot to the other side of the net. Appearing on the tennis ball's path, Mao returned it. She was a little testy. Akuha was unpredictable seeing that Mao knew nothing about her. She had no idea how strong, or fast she was. How good her endurance was, or what style of tennis she played.

Akuha ran up to the net as the ball was about to cross over to her side.

"A drop shot!" Chiaki cried out and leaned forward in her seat. Some of the girls around her watched the game anxiously.

And a drop shot it was. The ball bounced and Mao dove for it. But as the ball bounced, it unexpectedly curved to the left, causing Mao to miss it. Karin swallowed and then shakily announced:

"15- love**[3]**!"

Mao scampered to her feet and backed away. Akuha was preparing to serve. Mao narrowed her eyes, taking note to watch out for that unexpected curve. _I better start fighting back,_ she thought. And so, as the ball bounced off the ground, Mao lunged. She returned the ball, only to have it fly back. The two rallied for a while until Mao managed to perform a perfect lob. The ball bounced right off at the line.

"15-15!"

Akuha growled at her opponent. Despite the fact that Mao had managed to earn a point for herself, it was too early to start celebrating. She was still suspicious about Akuha. Just when you start to think that you've won the match, your opponent pulls out an unexpected move that turns the whole game around. That is how most games that Mao had played or witnessed went.

Akuha pulled out another tennis ball. She surveyed the court and served the ball. Mao ran after it. She returned it with a strong forehand. Her opponent ran up to the net and before the ball could hit the ground, she returned the shot. But alas...

"Fault!" Karin cried out, "15- 40!"

* * *

><p><strong>[1]<strong> Because Mao is Atobe's counter part, she is refered to as 'Queen' at times. This doesn't necissarily mean that Mao is romantically involved with Atobe. It's only a title she had been given for being the captain of the girls team.

**[2]** For those who don't get this, they do this to see who gets to serve first. One of them asks their opponent, "up or down." The opponent chooses either one and then they will use the logo on the butt cap to see who gets to serve. They do this by spinning the top of racket and when the racket falls over, they look at the little logo on the butt cap. Let's use a Wilson's racket for an example. Some may have notices that at the tip of the hilt there is a 'W.' In the racket spin, if the logo is right side up, it is up. But if the logo is upside down(in this case 'M'), it would be a down. Seeing that Akuha picked down, and the logo was upside down, she got the serve.

**[3]** 'Lov'e is only a tern used in tennis. It originated from the French word 'l'oeuf.' This word means 'egg' in French. They use it because the shape of an egg resembles the number 'zero.'

Well, that was chapter five. I'm trying to type longer chapters, but I just can't seem to do it for some odd reason. It kinda makes me mad... Anyways, Tezuka wont be appearing for a while, well, at least not in the next chapter I can assure that! But lately I've been thinking of writing kind of an extra series where each chapter kinda tells a different story. Kinda like a slice of life! It doesn't follow the plot-line, nor does it effect it, but it still revolves around Mao's and Tezuka's developing relationship. It would be really nice if I would get some in put on that.

Second of all, I would like to give a shout-out to some people;** IchiakiI and Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967.** These two have been sending me reviews, which is very encouraging and motivating. It makes me want to write more so I don't keep you guys waiting~ -heart-


	6. Chapter 6

A/N:

Whoo! It's chapter six!

Thanks to all those who mesaged me. I also want to apologize to anyone who was reading this. I was too busy with school work and when I wasn't well, I had minimal motivation to write. I mean, I typed a bit of other stories, but not this one. Today when I got home from school, I told myself that I should update _Raise Your Glass_ before typing up the second chapter to my newest series, _Red Room. _

_Red Room _is another Prince of Tennis story by yours truly. Though, in this story, I don't focus that much on tennis, but Japanese folklore, youkais, urban legends alike! It will still hold the same pairings as _Raise Your Glass _(ie. TezukaxMao), but it doesn't effect the plot line of _RYG_.

But I'm not going to spoil the story for you. :) If you're interested in reading it, then feel free to do so!

* * *

><p>"Wrong service box," Mao taunted while tossing her racket to her left hand, and then back to her right.<p>

Akuha grit her teeth and glared at the captain. _It was only a minor slip up_, she thought to herself,_ it wont happen again. _Once recomposed, the first year took her position and waited for Mao to serve. Time seemed to go by slowly. The ticking of an imaginary clock in Akuha's mind was absolutely maddening.

After what seemed like a very long time, the familiar sound of a tennis racket cracking against the tennis ball rang trough the air. With a gasp, Akuha took a step back as the ball came crashing down right in front of her. She stumbled back a bit, but regained her balance. That was too close to her comfort zone!

"15-45! Game!"

She looked up at Mao, and was taken back by the look of pleasure in the older girl's eyes.

"Ah, she's such a sadist," Chiaki mumbled.

Akuha's fists balled up. She was _enjoying_ this? Was she not scared by the fact that someone was challenging her position as team captain!

"Why you-!" she snarled, but caught herself.

_I can't let her get under my skin like that!_ Akuha told herself and averted her eyes away from Mao to calm down. That's when she realized the score. Her red eyes widen in shock. Game? That fast? Her head turned to face Mao in shock, but her surprised look was replaced by annoyance when she saw a cocky smirk on her face.

"Let's... Let's just get on with it, okay?" Akuha snapped impatiently.

"If you say so," Mao muttered at her opponent's impatient behavior.

She served the ball and aimed it for the spot right in front of Akuha. Though, this time, the said girl was prepared. She leaped back, and charged as the ball hit hit the ground and shot up. Kicking herself off the ground, Akuha slammed the tennis ball with her racket.

"Eat this!" she spat as she ball shot back at the other girl. Mao's eyes widen as the ball whizzed past her head.

_What was that?_ She watched as Akuha landed nimbly on her feet with a smug look. _Acrobatics?_

"15- love!" Karin announced.

"Impressive," Mao called out, getting ready to serve, "but not impressive enough!"

The ball flew across the net and Akuha ran for it. In a few moments, the ball flew back. This went on for a while until Mao gripped the racket with both hands and swung. The ball sailed past Akuha before she could react.

"15-15!"

_Good, _Mao thought, _I'll get to keep my serve..._

God knows what kind of stunts Akuha would pull if Mao were to lose her service.

* * *

><p>Sakaki went through some paperwork while he waited for the two tennis team captains to arrive. He had something he wished to discuss with the two. There was a light knock on the door that caused the light brown haired male to look up. His hazel eyes landed on the young Atobe as he confidently entered his classroom.<p>

"You wanted to see, ore-sama?" he inquired while twirling a piece of his grayish purple hair.

"Yes," Sakaki replied, "we'll have to wait for Mao though."

Atobe nodded and took a seat by one of the chairs in the classroom while they waited for the other captain to arrive. As time went on, Mao did not appear. Both males became slightly annoyed. Abote stood up and headed for the door.

"Ore-sama shall go and fetch her," he said before closing the door behind him.

He walked down the hall and asked around if anyone had seen the carmine haired girl. Someone told him that she was at the tennis courts. And that is exactly where he was heading to. When he arrived at the courts, a frown was etched on his perfect face as he prepared himself to scold Mao, but fell silent by what he saw before him.

A girl, presumably a first year, with black hair flipped in the air as she smashed the tennis ball towards Mao. In response, the captain attempted to hit it back, but she only managed to graze the ball with the head of her racket.

"Game! 3-5!"

Akuha landed on the ground and panted as she tried to catch her breath. She wiped some sweat from under her chin and cast a victorious smirk towards Mao's direction. The captain herself was finally sweating. From the corner of her eye, she caught movement. Someone was watching their match. She turned her head to face the boy. He was quite handsome, but not her type.

"Mao," the new comer spoke up.

The carmine haired girl wiped some sweat off her forehead, and without looking at him, answered back:

"Keigo."

The two had known each other ever since their first meeting in Europe. They were paired up with each other for a mixed doubles tournament. Needles to say, they hated each other. Even though it was doubles, Atobe played like it was singles, barely giving Mao a chance to play. They met later on during their first year in Hyotei. Mao had witnessed the match between Atobe and Oshitari, and then announcing at the end that if she had known Atobe had enrolled into Hyotei, she would have applied to Seigaku.

Eventually the two (mainly Mao, for she detested Atobe), began to accept each other, until their relationship was based upon mutual respect and a sense of duty as the captains of Hyotei's tennis teams. Now, they could stand and work with each other, unlike that time in Europe. Though, Mao still prefers not to be paired up with Atobe during mixed doubles...

"Sakaki wanted to speak with us, but you never showed up."

"I know."

The court fell silent. She was supposed to meet with Sakaki? Yet here she was, playing tennis? I feel like she accepted Akuha's challenge to purposely piss them off, Karin thought.

"Hey! You!" Mao called out to Akuha, "get ready!"

Akuha turned to face Mao and noticed that she was ready to serve. Though, something was different about this serve. The tan girl inhaled deeply, and as her racket collided with the ball, she exhaled sharply, her free hand curved underneath her stomach. The ball flew over the net and the angle of the ball seemed to decrease until it was by Akuha's lower leg. She could no nothing, for the ball blurred by too low.

She shrieked and leaned onto her other leg and stumbled before falling to the ground.

"Sette livelli di suicidio!" Mao breathed out.

"L-love - 15!" Karin cried out. Her voice cracked.

It was that move again. She watched as Mao stood in one place, breathing heavily. Her chest tightened at the sight. The blonde turned her blue eyes away from her captain.

Mao bit her lip as she felt her lungs tighten and her abdominal strain. She ignored though and walked over to Atobe.

"Well, seems our match ends here," Mao drawls, "I forfeit."

The girls stood there in silence. Akuha stared at Mao, bewildered. She forfeited!

"What? No!" she cried out stubbornly, "don't walk away from this match-!"

"Someone take Chiaki and Miss Akuha to the nurse," the carmine haired girl ordered while walking away with Atobe.

Akuha sputtered nonsense. She didn't need to go to the nurse! She was fine, pissed, but fine. Karin hopped off her seat and walked over to the black haired girl and offered her hand. Though, the girl on the ground only glared.

"Trust me," Karin replied, her throat feeling a little dry as her eyes landed on Akuha's leg.

The red eyed girl followed her upperclassman's eyes until they landed on a red spot on her leg. It was slightly moist. The girl dabbed it with her hand and winced. It stung. She looked at her fingers and saw that they were red. Her eyes widened. It wasn't crimson, but like several drops of blood diluted by water.

Despite whether she had Akuha's consent or not, Karin bent down to help the girl up.

"You have a friction burn from Mao's final attack."

* * *

><p>And that was chapter six!<p>

Yes. Friction burn. It's a burn caused by-... Friction! :D /shot

I feel that it's possible, because if you can get burn by a carpet, then I'm sure you can get a burn from a tennis ball that travels 120 mph (hit by Gael Monfils; forehand) or 155 mph (when served; by Andry Roddick)...

Friction burn happens when the skin is rubbed on a surface. Friction, as we all know (or maybe not), creates heat, which may burn the outer layer of skin when chafed. There's different levels of friction burn, but Akuha's isn't that serious. Though, if she doesn't get it checked out, it could get infected.

Oh and, some changes from Akuha's creator, she's changing her lastname to **Shuhen**. I'm telling you this so you don't get confused in the future.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

Holy-. I don't even remember when was the last time I updated this story! I'm really sorry. I've been so wrapped up in other things that I kinda sorta forgot about this... I hope I haven't lost that many readers, though I'm sure I did.

Well, anyways, here's chapter seven. In this chapter, Oshitari and Mao journey home together and Mao shares a bit about her past with Atobe with him! Enjoy.

**UPDATE: January 6th, 2012**

****Went back and fixed a silly spelling mistake~

* * *

><p><em>Ding, Dong, Ding, Dong<em>

Mao yawned and rested her head upon her desk. She allowed her eyes to shut as she enjoyed the moment. School has just ended and there was no practice for that afternoon. The students bustled around the class room and chattered happily. The chairs screeched against the floor as they were pushed to the side. Noisily, Mao's peers ran for the door.

Begrudgingly, Mao lifted her head and looked around. Placing her hands on the surface of her desk with a sigh, she stood up and began to gather her things. She heard footsteps that stopped behind her. Pausing, she turned around.

"Oshitari," she said, clearly surprised, "how can I help you?"

The two tennis played barely ever spoke to one another, and when they did, it was either about school or tennis. Both were rare occasions.

"I noticed that we live in the same area," he began, "and I was hoping if I could accompany you 'till we part ways."

There was a blink from Mao as she stared at Oshitari for the longest time. She shook her head and then quickly averted her eyes before she made awkward eye contact. Had he just offered to walk her home? She cleared her throat and stood straight. Finally, she had the courage to look at him.

"Sure," she replied coolly.

She saw no harm in it. After all, Oshitari was a kind and respectable individual. He displayed a great deal of patience as Mao packed her things up, and then waited for her to stand beside him before heading for the classroom's door. They received a few odd glances as they walked down the hallway. It was rare to see them together. Mao's cheeks grew hot under the gazes, but lucky for her it did not show because of her tan skin.

The two students walked quietly down the stairs to the lobby where they changed their shoes and then headed for the exit. As Mao's hand reached to push the door open, another hand did so before she could. Startled, she stumbled back a few steps until her back gently bumped into something firm. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes widened when her eyes met a pair of blue eyes. With a squeak, she leaped forward to put some space between them.

"S-... Sorry," she said quickly and walked out the door.

There was a low chuckle from the male who then followed her out the door.

How odd.

Leaving the school grounds, they both headed for the nearby train station. Since they were both students and used the train regularly, they had train passes so they didn't have to buy their tickets everyday. Oshitari and Mao waited for their train in silence. The train station was bustling with life. A sundry of people were scattered here and there. Mao realized that it was less crowded when she left home from tennis practice.

"Say, Asakura," the blue haired male suddenly said, "you and Atobe."

Furrowing her eye brows, the tan girl turned her head to him.

"I remember in our first year, after the match I had with him, you said that if you had known he would be attending Hyotei, you would have applied to Seigaku."

There was a brief chuckle from the girl who closed her eyes at the memory. She was surprised that he remembered something like that. After all, she had said that several years back. Though, why was he bringing this up now?

"Yes, I did say that," Mao replied and kicked the ground as to occupy herself, "your point is?"

For a moment he said nothing but stared at Mao, and then turned his gaze to watch a train breeze by.

"The way you said it..." he paused, "it sounded like you knew him prior to enrolling into Hyotei."

"I did in fact," the tall girl replied and played with the hem of her school jacket. "I met him that summer in Europe."

"Europe?"

"Yes."

_It was two years ago when Mao had first met Atobe. They were at a junior tennis tournament in Europe, -Spain, to be exact. The weather was nice and warm that day with minimal humidity. The news of the tournament had gathered quite the amount of spectators and participants._

_A young girl, fresh out of elementary school stood by a large board. Her long, reddish brown hair that reached her shoulder blades was in a loose braid that rested on her shoulder. She wore a white shirt with a tennis skirt. Underneath her skirt were black spandex shorts that reached the middle of the thighs._

_Her large, brown eyes scanned the list, searching for the court that she was playing in. She would be participating in singles and mixed doubles during this tournament. Finally spotting her name, she gripped the tennis racket in her hand against her chest. Her partner would be Atobe Keigo. Recalling the past, she had read an article about him. He studied in England. From what she knew, he was good._

_Picking up her small gray and neon yellow duffel bag, she headed for the courts she was assigned. On the bag, in bright letters was stitched 'Asakura, Mao.'_

_Arriving at her destination, she looked around. There were quite the amount of people gathered by the court. The sound of tennis balls bouncing and being hit reached her ears, piquing her interest. Curiously, the girl weaseled her way through the crowd until she reached the fence. In wonder, she stared at the players on court. The official matches had not yet started, so this must be a practice match._

_There was a blond boy with determined blue eyes. The collar of his shirt was drenched with sweat and his breathing came out in wheezes and gasps. Pressing her lips to a thin line, Mao turned her eyes from the desperate player to his opponent. It was a boy, perhaps around her age with purple hair and dark colored eyes with single tear mole. He had this calm, yet superior aura to him. A cocky smirk played on his face, for he knew that he had already won the match. Mao knew it too._

_He had good stamina, for he didn't display any sign of fatigue. His assaults were aimed to his opponents blind spots. And then, the blond boy tripped as he dived for the tennis ball. This was the end. The purple haired boy had won._

_"6-0! Game won by Atobe Keigo!"_

_Mao raised her eye brows and her mouth hung. He was her partner? She shook her head to snap herself out of her stupor as she observed the lavender haired male. Gingerly, she raised a hand to the gate as she watched him walk away. Blinking a few times, she weaved herself way out of the crowd._

_"A-atobe, Keigo," she said hesitantly when the male looked at her._

_He was with another boy. His skin was tan, like Mao's, but he was tall and firmly built. Mao found herself slightly nervous in his presence, but pushed the feeling away and turned to the male she had come to see._

_"My name is Asakura, Mao," she introduced herself and bowed slightly."We'll be playing together in mixed doubles."_

_"Ahn? You're ore-sama's partner?" There was a chuckle, which was then followed by, "you better not slow ore-sama down."_

_A vein popped on the side of Mao's head as she watched Atobe. Her eye brow twitched. What had he said? **Slow him down?** **Ore-sama?** Who the **fottere** did he think he is?_

_"Excuse me!" Mao hissed, balling her fists._

Just thinking about the past made Mao's blood boil to the point where she wanted to punch someone. A hand was placed on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. Blinking, she turned her head to Oshitari, who still held his hand on her shoulder. That's when she realized how close he had been standing. Feeling her blood rush to her face, Mao took a startled step back, causing the blue haired tennis player to remove his hand from her shoulder and chuckle in amusement.

"That's Atobe for you, " he mused after hearing her story, "but, hey. The train is here. Shall we go?"

* * *

><p>Ahn~ That was Chapter Seven. Once again, I apologize for not updating in a long time!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:  
><strong>_  
>Waaah! It's been quite a while since I've last posted (I think...). Anyways, Happy belated New Years to my precious and pretty readers! Ohmyfriggin'god, have you heard the latest TeenTop song ('Crazy')? <strong>HAVE YOU SEEN THE MV!<strong> The pelvic moves... They... They're too muchhhhggg... -nose bleed- _And Niel's voice._ Holy. Crap. It's just so addicting. Like... JKILOugtfjyhtr. And yeah... Oh! Ricky Martin! I was actually listening to his song 'Livin' La Vida Loca,' even though it has nothing to do with this chapter, lol. Except Mao's skin is kind of a light mocha/caramel skin color. Like, not like Kawamura Jackal dark, but much lighter, like... Snooki from _Jersey Shore _(NOTE: I do not watch that show), but not as orange... I- I don't know anymore.

**Thank you RockPrincess 410, Aisian lover, and kuroikuu **for messaging, and a **special shoutout to IchiakiI**; Thank you for always beta-ing my stories and being the first one to always review/comment on them, lolol 3

**kuroikuu: ** Ahaha... Sorry. I didn't want the two to rush into a relationship, like in most fanfics you fing laying around, without them getting to know each other and I kinda want to add him in a little at a time, meaning that this _will_be a long story, with many chapters. Though, I thought of what you said, and concluded that it was high time to toss the guy in and actually have him interact with Mao in some way. I already had a plan as to how I could bring the two together, concidering that Mao is from Hyotei and Tezuka is from Seigaku, and I've decided to use that plan in this chapter, so... Request granted? Haha! I'll try to include him more and more, though I have to figure out ways to do so and not make it seem out of character for both the characters (Tezu and Mao). Sheesh, I'm so bad when it comes to coming up with ideas to use, but alas, now I'm just rambling.

**WARNING!:** Naughty language

* * *

><p>Often, Mao found herself thinking about the day Oshitari and she walked home together. Once in the train, it was so pact that when they sat down, they were literally sharing one seat, hip to hip and shoulder to shoulder. It was nerving to her how close they sat, for Mao was not used to bodily contact this... extreme? To her relief, an elderly came aboard, and like any good teens, the two students gave up their seat for the lady, who thanked them. The memory still caused shivers to violently venture up her spine. And the look on Oshitari's face when they were sitting next to each other... He seemed- <em>oddly pleased<em>, though Mao did not question why.

Sighing heavily, Mao shuddered in her jacket. Lately, the weather has been a little on the chilly side, forcing her and her team to actually wear longer spandex shorts under their skirt, and constantly wear their jackets. Just the other day, Karin was complaining how cold her hands were and the next day, showed up to practice wearing mittens. Of course, no one questioned her actions because, well... She's Karin. Also, it made sense, for Mao had worn fingerless gloves several times to practice when the wind was blowing and your nose was dripping. In fact, she was wearing fingerless gloves right now!

They were black, and matched her black jeans, where as her tan, wooly trench coach matched her faded, light brown leather boots. Over her shoulder was an army green messenger bag and around her neck was a scarf of similar shade. The weather channel said that in a couple of days it would be warmer, and Mao prayed to God that it would be. It was far too early to deal with this winter shit. With a light huff, the cold student's eyes traveled down to the small animal trotting in front of her.

Panini didn't seem to mind the weather as much as his owner. Though, occasionally he would shiver as a cold gust of wind blew by, but nothing much. His eyes twinkled as they walked down the street, occasionally stopping to sniff or look at something, Mao patiently waiting for him to get a move on. The girl was on some errands, for her mother and for herself. One was to drop off some mail, and take out the garbage. Her mother was very big on recycling. Well, everyone on their street was serious about it, _but God-_ Her mother had to be the _worst_ (in a good-weird way when it came to sorting out litter). Once those were taken care of, Mao did some light shopping for herself while she waited for her mother's reading glasses to be fixed. Being a bit on the nerdy side (surprisingly), Mao noticed that she had ran out of pages in her English and Mathematics notebook, and was in desperate need of pencil lead and staples.

Coming to halt, she looked down at the small canine, who looked around, rather alert. Mao furrowed her eye brows, but said nothing. What no-

"Whoah! Watch out!"

Swiftly, Mao turned her upper body twist around to look behind her. At first, her brain registered nothing. But then, a second later, a second too late- Her eyes widened as the bicycle headed her way. Eyes wide, Mao scampered to the side, as the bike breezed by her as crashed into a flower bed, sending the rider over the handlebars. Stumbling, the bewildered girl fell to her bottom, her heart beating madly like a wild stampede. In her moment of stupor, she failed to notice something wrong.

Looking at both of her scraped hands, she realized something. _Fuck._ Her face screwed up into one that could only express her dissatisfaction at the moment. Her bottom eye lid twitched and so did the corner of her lip. She could feel a vein pop. The leash. It was gone. Somewhere in the midsts of being knocked over, she must have released her grip on the leash, and when Panini felt the piece of leather slacken, he took down the street. Rolling to her hands and knees, Mao stood up and ran down the street, past the boy with the bike (who was being surrounded by people), a stream or nasty words bubbling out of her mouth, both in Japanese, and Italian, to the confusion of the many pedestrians.

Running down the street, assuming that her dog went that way, she nimbly leaped over things or veered around her path, occasionally yelling an apology if she had accidentally shouldered or almost ran into a poor passer by. Sweat slid down her smooth skin, and her throat felt cold as she frantically searched for her dog. Deciding that it was best to check the places that she visited with Panini often, which included the tennis store, a small cafe, the public tennis courts, she even went home to see if he had returned to their humble abode, though her mother and neighbors denied seeing the tiny dog, but offered to go help and search or keep a look out incase they came across the critter. Thanking them, Mao took off, stressed and scared.

She began to fear the worst. What if someone had kidnapped him? Or what if he had been hit by a car? Her chest tightened at the thought, and her mouth went dry. Shaking her head, she pulled herself together and decided to check the park. As she jogged, Mao called out for the pet, whistling and calling it pet-names, such a Bunny or Baby.

"Panini!" she cried out in desperation.

It was starting to get dark and cold. With almost numb and shaky fingers, she dialed Karin's number. Now, it wasn't that often that Mao revealed a vulnerable side of herself, but she had one, which was displayed when the half Italian began to rapidly explain to Karin what had happened. Her voice cracked and half the things she scrammed into a sentence made no sense or the whole sentence itself sounded awkward. Though, the blonde said nothing, but patiently listened to her captain's blubbering and lamenting. She could almost imagine her waving her free hand around. It was something she did when Mao was upset or frustrated and speaking at the same time.

Once she was done, Karin calmly explained to her friend that she should return back to her search, while she called some of their friends to let them know that Mao's dog was missing. Skeptical, Mao nodded, even though Karin couldn't see her. Sniffing and thanking the girl, she hung up and shoved her hands and phone into her pocket. Her cheeks were red from the cold air. Her ears were so cold that momentarily she pulled her hands out of her pockets, rubbed them together and pressed them to her ears before pulling up her scarf.

Looking around her, there were very few people at the park. Scolding herself that standing would not help her find her dog, Mao began to move again, walking down one of the routes she often took when walking Panini. Cupping her hands to her mouth, she called out to her dog. Just as the last sliver of hope was slowly starting to weasel its way out of her chest, tiny pitter patters could be heard. Lifting her head (which Mao had hung dejectedly), something approached her rapidly.

"P-panini?" she blurted out, standing in one spot as the said dog approached her, his large bat ears flopping up and down and his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He seemed quite happy to see for.

Dropping to the ground, she opened her arms wide, allowing the dog to barrel into her lap and kiss her silly as Mao wrapped her arms around his tiny body, sobbing softly in relief. Warmth and relief crashed down on her, engulfing her heart. An additional set of foot steps followed, stopping in front of Mao and Panini. Glancing up, the girl quickly stood up.

"Is he yours?" a rather stoic voice called out.

Nodding, Mao held the dog tightly against her chest, though slacked her grip when Panini tried to turn around and started to flail and whine. Setting the rather demanding puppy onto the floor (with a secure grip on his leash, which was still attached to his harness), she watched him trot over to person and pressed his front paws to his legs while he stood on his hind legs. The person knelt down to gently scratch the back of Panini's head.

Silently, Mao observed the male. He seemed oddly familiar. Trying her best to recall where she had seen him, it hit her hard when he looked up at her. She flinched.

"Thank you, er, Tezuka-san," she thanked, though hesitated when saying his name.

Tezuka, stood up and nodded. He adjusted his glasses, while taking in Mao's appearance. He could tell that she had been worried. It was careless of her to let her dog roam free, though he doubted that she did it on purpose. From the things that he had heard about her, it just did not seem like her to be so heedless.

"How did you find him?"

Staring at Mao, Tezuka remained silent. He was dressed in jeans, some black and white converse and an olive colored knitted jacket. He too, carried a messenger bag, though it was leather and much neater than Mao's, which was littered with odds and ends (mainly pins). Her long, carmine hair was pulled back into what seemed like a bun, and her bangs were pinned to the side with some bobby pins.

"He ran off with one of my tennis balls," he explained calmly, "so I chased after him."

He proceeded to hold up a tennis ball. Mao could tell that Panini had got to it. She looked down at her shoes sheepishly, though Tezuka did not seem too upset about it. Well... That's what it looked like to Mao, anyway. God knows what he was thinking on the inside, she thought to herself.

"I'm sorry if he caused any trouble," she said and bowed slightly.

"It's fine," Tezuka replied, his voice monotone, yet authoritative.

Mao fidgeted a little as Panini yawned from his sitting position on the ground, but eventually stood up when it got too cold on his behind. He whined pitifully, catching Mao's attention who knelt down and scooped the puppy into her arms. Standing up, she turned back to Tezuka.

"Well, I best be on my way," she said with a polite nod, "thank you, Tezuka-san, and good night."

Turning around, she began to head back home with her pet in tow. It had been an eventful day. Too eventful for her. If it had not been for Seigaku's captain, God knows what would have happened to Panini. Did he know his way home if he ever ran away again? Shrugging at the though, her gaze turned to the dog snuggled up against her chest, slowly drifting to a slumber. A fond smile appeared in her eyes and a small smile made its way to her lips.

_Thanks again, Tezuka._

* * *

><p>I feel like the ending was a bit cheesy, but, oh well! Oh and, this is officially the largest <span>Raise Your Glass<span>chapter. There were two 10 KB chapters, which were chapters four and six. This one was a whopping 11 KBs. Psh, but this isn't the largest text file that is a story on my PC. The largest one is a Christmas (even though I don't celebrate Christmas; it was a gift for a friend)special for another story that I'm writing. It's 43 KBs.

Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter. **:) **Reviews(even the harsh criticisms and hate mail) are always welcomed with open arms! _Saa'ah_... That's all for today!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N:

Whoohoo! Chapter Nine! 'Tis makes me very happy. One more chappy after this and then I've written ten chapters for this story (but that doesn't mean the series will be over).

* * *

><p>Small hands were clasped tightly together. Eyes were screwed shut as the person's body thrembled slightly. <em>This is the worst,<em> they thought. _Math _was the worst. It was just plain horrible! Something was placed on the person's desk, and slowly, their eyes opened to reveal a pair of crimson orbs.

"Miss Shuhen, your test grades are horrendous," the elderly lady said stirctly, "please study harder next time."

And with that, the gray haired, short and skinny bi-, **teacher** continued down the aisle of desks, giving frequent heart attacks to students who nervously waited for their test grades. Honestly, the teacher was a bad one. She taught too fast and tended to use vocabulary that they did not even know that existed. Serious. _What the hell is a hectopascal? Or- or... A-avoird...dupoi... is? _Akuha wasn't even sure if she was prouncing it properly! She would understand if the teacher stopped jumping between algebra and trigonometry or whatever she talked about when she wasn't flapping her lips about how to solve for 'x' or- _**God!**_

Crumpling the paper in fury, the half-Chinese stuffed it into her bag before she'd throw it at the teacher. This class just annoyed her so much! It was unbearable! Why haven't they fired this awful witch in teacher's clothing? Seething silently, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Grabbing her bag, she skittered out of the room without even looking at the teacher. Just as she reached the door, a sten voice called out to her-

"Miss Shuhen, a word, if I may."

That wasn't a request. If she could get any paler, Akuha would have. Nervously she looked over her shoulder. Had the math teacher read her thoughts? Or had she voiced an occasional _'bitch' _by accident? Had the teacher seen her tiny doodles about how the she looked in Akuha's eyes? Her heart sank. Was it all three?

Slowly she shuffled over to the podium at the from of the class. Standing timidly in front of the woman, Akuha avoided looking at her.

"Y-yes, ma'am?"

"You're failing."

Shaken by the sudden assault, Akuha looked up at the woman. Her eyes wide and glassy. Though there was no sign of sympathy on her math teacher's face. It was like... Like she didn't care. Most of the students hated her, and they were all pretty sure that she hated them as well. On the way over, Akuha had noticed to looks of sympathy she had received from her classmates. Biting her lip, she waited for the teacher to continue.

"Your current grade is a 62," _Flinch_... They way she said it, they were filled with bitterness, though somewhere behind those words, Akuha could pick up a tint of enjoyment, "we'll be having a unit test next weeks Friday. If you can score a hundred on it, it will raise your grade to an eighty or above."

_A hundred? _But- but... That's proposterous! She knew that Akuha wasn't good at math!

"If you fail that one, I'm afraid I'll have to call your parents to let them know about your lousy grades."

Akuha's heart sank. _No. Not that. _Not her parents! If they ever found out, she'd be done for! It was really all her parents ever asked of Akuha... To do well in school, and honestly, she did. She did do well. Her eyes dropped to the tiled floor. She'd never be able to ace the test. _Never._

"Do you understand, Miss Shuhen?"

"Y-yes," she murmured.

"I can't hear you child, speak up!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Her throat was dry and her reply came out hoarse.

"Good. Now go."

Nodding, the first year student walked sullenly out of the room.

_Perhaps I'll ask for help, _she thought weakly. Being alone in that room with that witch just drained the energy right out of her. The tension between them was suffocating. That woman's presense alone was enough to chase the life out of her. Akuha's bottom lip quivered. _But... I don't really have any friends either..._

Even how hard Akuha tried, it seemed like no one wanted to be her friend. She tried acting nice, but she had a temper too. Keeping her eyes on the ground, she thought of her school year. Many stared at her. She was sure that it were her eyes that caused everyone to stare at her like she had some growth defect. People out in the streets did so too. And this little kid called her 'weird' and some high school bullies called her a 'freak' and a 'druggie'. Akuha's chest thightened as she recalled that moment. This is all too unfair!

Not watching where she was going, she failed to see someone in front of her.

"Hey Mao, we're going to Seigaku again tomorrow! You wanna come?"

"I don't know, I-"

With a startled squeak, Akuha jumped back as she had walked into someone.

Looking up, she went to apologize, though she ended up just standing there with her mouth hanging. _Shit. _Her leg throbbed as her eyes met a pair of brown eyes. Cluthing her school bag to her chest, Akuha looked down and muttered a quiet 'sorry' before walking around the tennis captain and vice-captain. The blond girl watched Akuha quickly brush past them with an amused smirk.

"Hey! New kid!"

_Ignore it, _Akuha told herself miserably, _they'll just make fun of you._

"I'm still waiting for your forms for the club!"

That caused Akuha to stop and turn around. _Huh? Forms? Club? _What were they talking about?

"If you get them handed in on Monday," Karin paused and smiled cheekily, "then you'll be able to play with us!"

Eye brows furrowing, Akuha trudged back over to her two upper classmen. Were they talking about tennis? **Duh. **Obviously.

"W-wha-?"

"Lately, one of the other regulars has been doing poorly," Mao replied coolly, "I want her booted out before she slips and loses in a match. Even if it's by a little. Besides, we could use an acrobat."

Akuha flushed. What? They wanted her to replace one of the regulars? Just because they were doing a poor job during tournaments? For some odd reason, it annoyed Akuha. She wasn't a replacement! Gritting her teeth, she _glared _at Mao, who didn't seem to be affected at all by the intimidating look.

Her grip on her bag tightened, which Karin took note of and tensed. There was this awkward tension between the three girls. Both Mao and Karin silently anticipated for Akuha to say or do something. With a frustrated huff, she turned around and stormed off. Karin opened her mouth and proceeded to chase after the black haired girl, but halted when Mao placed her hand on her shoulder to stop her from doing so.

"No," Mao said plainly, "she'll submit it."

"How can you be so sure?" Karin inquired while puffing her cheeks.

"Call it a strong hunch."

* * *

><p>This was a short one... And I'm sorry, there was no Tezuka in this one, but I promise that he will be in the next time. I know that I haven't given him that much screen time, but as I get more and more into the story, he'll appear more and more. And unless the characters are on break or vacation or something, the story will takes place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, because those are really the only days when Mao can actually meet Tezuka, since they go to different schools. :)<p> 


End file.
